The MTB Tyre Tread Quiz – how well do you know your rubber?

by 35

How many times have you ridden along a trail and looked down to see tyre tracks that you could identify? Have you impressed your riding mates with call outs of “See that tyre track down there? That’s a Magic Mary that is”. Now you can put your tracking skills to the test with our tread pattern quiz. Please log in to access this quiz! It’s free to do so – head here.

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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Home Forums The MTB Tyre Tread Quiz – how well do you know your rubber?

Viewing 35 posts - 1 through 35 (of 35 total)
  • The MTB Tyre Tread Quiz – how well do you know your rubber?
  • sillyoldman
    Full Member

    9/11
    Don’t know if I should be miffed at getting two wrong, or ashamed at getting 9 right.

    Yak
    Full Member

    9/11. There were a couple of lucky guesses but most were ok.

    weeksy
    Full Member

    6/11

    At least 10 out of the 11 were guesses.

    schmiken
    Full Member

    <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>9/11 here!</span>

    one_bad_mofo
    Full Member

    But where’re are the Tioga Farmer John, Panacer Smoke and Onza Porcupine?

    Riksbar
    Full Member

    That’s not an Onza Porcupine…

    I remember the days when not only could I recognise the tyres, I would have known who’d been out riding that day.

    kayak23
    Full Member

    5/11
    Safe to say I’m not a tyre nerd.

    MrAgreeable
    Full Member

    No Conti Vertical Pro? This place has changed…

    lawman91
    Full Member

    Full marks here, I need to get out more!

    colin9
    Full Member

    5/11. More of a nerd than I hoped.

    jd13m
    Free Member

    was this just an excuse to play with playdough? 😀

    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    5/11 – failed on most of the XC tyres and the non mainstream brands.

    fathomer
    Full Member

    6 and the only one I didn’t guess was the DHR2!

    kelvin
    Full Member

    I only got 3/11. Haven’t heard of, never mind seen or ridden, most of the others.

    endoverend
    Full Member

    9/11 = demi-nerd. To be fair most of these have way too much tread for my tendencies. Give us any xc race tyre made in the last 30 years and you’ll see full nerd alert.

    Davesport
    Full Member

    Mainly guesses, got 5 correct but enjoyed the quiz. More like this please.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    9/11 – and my only two guesses were both wrong. Nerd.

    funkrodent
    Full Member

    6/11. More than expected. A couple of educated guesses and lots of (mostly wrong) common or garden guesses

    nickc
    Full Member

    6/11 about what I expected. I got the obvious ones. I’ve not even heard of some of those tyres though, let alone recognize their tread pattern

    AlexSimon
    Full Member

    9/11 and the only two I got wrong were tyres that nobody should buy, so feel fine.

    tomparkin
    Full Member

    7/11

    I think the multiple-choice approach makes it easier to guess right in some cases if you’ve got any idea whether a given tyre is a beefy mudspike or a svelte XC slipper.

    I got the Magic Mary right, which is main thing.

    jimthesaint
    Full Member

    10/11 – Bloody WTB Ranger ruining my 100%

    lawman91
    Full Member

    Yeah the multiple choice makes it a lot easier, it’s more a process of elimination. Some I could guess without any hints, maybe 2 I only got because I knew it wasn’t the other options given, not because I knew what the tyre was actually in the picture!

    mulacs
    Full Member

    2. Sigh.

    zbonty
    Full Member

    2/11 Nearly all guess work. I do have some Maxxis DHR in the shed so that doubled my score!

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    4. Meh.

    reluctantjumper
    Full Member

    7/11. Not bad but not great either. I am slightly out of touch with tyres though.

    I remember the days when not only could I recognise the tyres, I would have known who’d been out riding that day.

    I got busted for going out for a ride once when I was 13 and meant to be grounded by one of my dad’s friends. He wanted to know my route as my tyre tracks went in a different direction to the regular rides! Caught all because I used an odd combination of tyres at the time (Farmer John Nephew up front, Smoke rear)! Next ride I studied the other treads in the mud and the next tyres were what everyone else was using.

    landslide
    Full Member

    I absolutely refuse to believe in non-round-knobbled Onza Porcupines.

    ads678
    Full Member

    4/11 only one I was confident about was the DHR. Only tyre I actually have out of the list is a magic Mary and I got that wrong!

    P20
    Full Member

    6/11. Fun little quiz. Thanks

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    6 correct.
    *Sigh*

    danieljohnreynolds
    Full Member

    8/11 – happy at a decent level of nerdery but livid I got the Eddy Current wrong after it even being in the Hannah/Benji video. CST – who? And i missed one of the other randommer ones!

    belgianwaffle1
    Full Member

    10/11 – not bad I’d say

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    4/11. 20+ years ago I’d have nailed it

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    0/10

    All I know is that tyres are mainly black and round and have some knobs on them.

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